


Something so Magic

by thisdorkyficthing



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Small Towns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-03-08 04:08:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3194765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisdorkyficthing/pseuds/thisdorkyficthing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First the scars, now this. And he <em>bakes</em>. All while looking the way he does. </p><p>Loki is <em>dangerously</em> intrigued by Thor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Loki just moved into a beautiful new house, or rather a beautiful old house. It's a lovely Victorian with chipping paint, rotting shutters on the windows, and a surly ghost who has it out for him. All things Loki will need to deal with eventually, but he has a shop to set up first.

He manages it in a day. It helps to be able to enchant a few brooms and dusters to do your bidding.

The locals begin gawking at him when he flips over the "open" sign the very next morning. It makes the place already feel like home.

Loki sells used books and strange knickknacks, most of which he happens upon during his travels between each move. He enchants the items with little charms or curses, purely for his own amusement, even if he exactly never sees what havoc he causes.

He always has the best sales in the first week or two of moving in town. This sleepy little town seems no different. He's sitting behind his antique cash register when a gang of middle-aged soccer mom's come bustling in, whispering and giggling nervously to each other as the poke around his dimly lit shop, their candy-colored cardigans overly bright against the dingy back drop. Loki hardly pays them mind, his nose in a book.

"Are you going to buy anything?" One asks, whispering in a way that shows a inability to be secretive.

"I don't know," another one says, picking up a glass angel with the head knocked off and examining it, "nothin' has a price tag here."

"That's because my things are priceless." Loki says while carefully closing his book and setting it down. He resists the urge to curl his lips into a wicked smile, it's time he starts cultivating a persona here. Their heads whip around, crispy, over highlighted, over flat-ironed hair rustling.

They stare for a moment before a brave soul clears her throat and turns, taking the angel from her friend. "Then how much could this cost, her head's broken off."

" _Ladies_ ," Loki starts emphatically, standing from his stool and strolling out from behind the counter, "it's not the object that has the value, it's the _story_ it holds."

The women all seem very interested now, and Loki finally grins. Truly, what he sells the most of is bullshit.

\---

"Ah, _ah_ , if you kill me, you'll be stuck me with for much longer."

Loki doesn't hear, so much as sense that the ax has stopped midair. He twists around to see whether it was shock that he knew of her presence or trepidation brought on by Loki's words that stopped her hand.

He sees a mixture of both on her transparent face.

"I'll be gone in sixth months, tops, so I'd advise you stop this nonsense so I'm not forced to cleanse you." He's been forced to at a few places with absolutely foul spirits living in it, it's such a messy process he'd really rather not do it at all.

Her faces twists a bit, but she lowers the ax. Loki sits back in his seat and sighs in annoyance when he picks up his tea and finds it cold from the ghost standing by for so long. He stands and walks to the kitchen to make a fresh cup, and she follows. She stands in the doorway, her stare overly heavy on his back.

"So, what's your name?"

Silence.

He lets out an exasperated sigh and turns to look at her, thin arms crossed over her chest. "Does it really need to be like this? I really prefer to get along with the spirits in my houses."

"This is _my_ house," she finally chimes in, the house's pipes trembling with it.

"My name is on the deed and you're dead, and by the looks of your dress, it's been for a while now."

She huffs, or makes the sound of a huff.

"Your name then?"

"Sif," she growls, voice hollow and resonant.

"Loki," he replies pleasantly, not even bothering to hold his hand out. He has a feeling that she wouldn't take it even if she could. "Glad we're finally getting to know each other.

If Loki wasn't used to it by now, he would've had trouble sleeping with Sif standing right over him all night.

\---

Today has been quiet, not a single soul passing through the door of his shop.

That's why Loki automatically looks up when the door bell chimes.

The man that walks in has golden blonde hair that's illuminated perfectly by the orange late afternoon sun pouring through the windows. He smiles prettily at Loki and gives him a little wave as he walks farther in, heavy boots clunking softly on the floor. Loki waves back at him, and instantly feels like an idiot. Loki watches him makes his way around the shelves, occasionally poking and prodding at the objects on them. Loki forces himself to look back down at his book, although he doesn't pay any attention to the words on the page, instead listening to every footstep, doing his best to gauge where the other man is in his store.

Loki looks up when his footsteps stop. He stands at one of shelves, his back to Loki as he examines a antique perfume bottle. His gorgeous back. And legs. And ass.

_Shit_ , Loki's staring, and damn near _drooling_. He forces himself to look back down at his book.

And then he's at the counter right in front of Loki, perfume bottle in hand. He smiles at Loki again and he finds himself struck stupid by it.

"Hi," the other man starts as silence drags on, "I'd like to by this."

Loki shakes himself, clearing his throat and standing from his stool. " _Oh_. Yes, that's probably why you're standing here, isn't it."

He chuckles and Loki wishes he had a spell that could keep him from blushing. He sets the bottle down in front of Loki and he feels the enchantment he placed on it. It's a curse, one that would render any perfume put in it to smell like skunk.

_Shit_.

"Let me go wrap this for you," he says quickly, walking too fast to the backroom despite the fact he keeps tissue paper under the register, and begins to frantically take the curse off.

"I'm buying it for my mother," the other man calls out, unprompted. Loki rolls his eyes, as if he thought he was buying a perfume bottle for _himself_. "Her birthday is coming up. Thought it might be better than, you know, flowers."

Loki wraps the bottle up in a few sheets of delicate, lavender-colored paper before walking back out. He pulls a small bag out from behind the counter and sets the bottle inside, holding it out to the man as he fishes out his wallet from his back pocket.

"What's the damage?"

Loki stammers, his mind going blank before finally pulling a number out of his ass. He nods, pulling the cash out of his wallet and handing it to Loki, who hands back his change. The man gives him another heart-stopping smile and a wave as he leave. It's all terribly mundane but Loki feels upended, feeling like there are butterflies in his stomach.

"Well, that was special."

He comes back the next day, and Loki almost falls off his stool.

He's got his hair pulled back today, and a dark grey sweatshirt on that looks thick and warm and smells like sawdust and dead leaves when Loki gets close enough to smell him. Not that he was _trying_ to smell him. He picks out an old skeleton key. Of course he picks out something that's _cursed_ again.

Loki drops it on the floor and pretends that it went under the counter, quickly pulling the enchantment back before standing up and shoving it into a bag, not that it's really needed.

He scratches behind his ear, looking almost nervous as Loki counts his change.

"I thought my mother might like it," he's says unprompted, once again.

"How'd she like the bottle?"

"I haven't given it to her yet, her birthday is still a few days away."

Loki looks back up at him when he hands him his change, his breath kicked from his lungs when their eyes meet. God, his eyes are blue.

He leaves with another polite wave and Loki wants to melt into a puddle on the floor.

\---

He tears off his scarf and jacket when he gets home, carelessly tossing them on to his couch and making his way upstairs, to the bathroom. He cranks the shower on and tears his clothing off, stepping into the tub as soon as the water goes hot.

His hand is on his cock seconds later, his breath leaving him in a soft sigh as he envisions messy blond hair and _terrifyingly_ blue eyes.

He growls when he feels a heavy presence just beyond the curtain. He tears it open with his free hand, and if Sif _could_ go anymore pale, she would have at the sight of Loki with his cock in his hand.

"Do you really need to be in here for this!?"

She vanishes with a disgusted look and Loki pulls the curtain back. He comes faster than he has in a long time, choking on air and wishing he had a name to shout out.

\---

Loki notices an odd looking scar on his right hand when he comes in the third day, a few thin, jagged tendrils that snake up his wrist and under the sleeve of his shirt. He quickly pulls his hand back when he notices where Loki's gaze is focused, shoving it in to his pocket and keeping it there.

Today, he's buying a small doll, one of her fabric arms hanging on by a thread.

Loki raises an eyebrow, looking over the doll and deciding to keep her enchantment intact. She only moves around on occasion, nothing too bad really. "For mom?"

He raises both eyebrows. "Yeah. Um, yeah."

Keeping his eyebrow raised, Loki looks over him skeptically. "You must be _really_ bad at grocery shopping."

He lets out a huff of laughter, scratching behind his ear nervously. "Kinda."

Loki stares at him, and he squirms under the scrutiny.

"Maybe I was also trying to gather up the courage to ask you out for coffee... Or something like that."

Loki blinks and feels off balance.

Well, he didn't expect that.

Loki continues to stare and the other man shuffles nervously in front of him.

"We should probably know each others names," Loki finally says.

"I'm Thor," he says with a breathy chuckle, broad shoulders relaxing.

"Loki," he replies softly, suddenly realizing how tightly he's clutching the ragged doll.

"So," Thor starts, gesturing with one hand, the other still in his pocket, "would like to maybe get coffee tomorrow? My treat."

Loki nods, not trusting his voice to hide the giddiness building up inside him, since the rapidly broadening grin on his face must be more than enough to give him away.

“Okay, so, can I meet you here at like, ten?”

“Sounds good.”

Thor grins and it's beyond anything Loki has seen in the past few days, any anxiousness that was there is gone and it's like _pure happiness_. It leaves Loki in a daze for the rest of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

The sky is overrun with dark, grey clouds rolling and churning ominously above, making the day much darker than it should be for being so early. It makes the changing leaves stand out, though. The reds, oranges and yellows even more vivid against the stark background. Loki bunches up his shoulders and ducks his head when he's hit with a chilly gust of wind, feet moving faster on the sidewalk.

Thor's waiting for him, leaning against the brick front of Loki's store, hands in the pockets of his dark brown coat as he watches the sky. He gives Loki that brilliant smile when he hears him walking up, standing from the wall.

Loki almost steps back when he notices Thor's eyes. They practically _glowing_.

He blinks a few times and shakes his head. _No going crazy._ Not right now at least.

“Bit windy today,” Loki says after the silence drags.

“Yeah,” Thor replies with a chuckle, reaching for Loki. He anticipates a heavy hand dragging through his hair and is a bit disappointed when Thor only plucks a yellow leaf that was blown into it. “This looks lovely on you, but I'm pretty sure you don't want that there.”

_Dammit_ , Loki thinks as he feels himself blush.

“Shall we?” Thor holds his arm out to Loki. Loki takes it, digging his fingers into the thick material of his coat as they walk. The coffee shop isn't far from Loki's, but he hasn't been to it yet.

He hums as he takes a deep breath of the scented air when they step inside. “Oh, it smells _amazing_ in here.” His stomach chimes in with a loud grumble at the smell of whatever baked goods are wafting through the air.

“Thanks,” Thor says, smiling proudly as he steps behind Loki and helps him take his coat off.

Loki give him a quizzical look. “You're welcome?”

Thor looks down, _almost_ looking bashful. Almost. “There _is_ a reason I wanted to take you out for coffee.”

Loki's eyes narrow, glancing around the mostly empty shop before it clicks. “This is _your_ coffee shop?”

Thor nods. Loki tilts his head. “You didn't strike me as a ' _owns a coffee place_ ' kind of guy.”

“He's just full of surprises,” comes from the girl behind the counter as she fiddles around with one of the machines.

“That's Darcy,” Thor says.

“A.k.a, _employee of the month_.”

Thor directs Loki to a small booth along the side of the store. “We don't _do_ an employee of the month. And you call yourself employee of the month every month.”

“That's because I'm _always_ an amazing employee.”

Thor rolls his eyes at Loki. “You can't decide that yourself. Sometimes Fandral is better.”

Darcy lets out a dramatic little huff, scowling over at Thor. “And to think, I was gonna talk you up to your crush.”

Thor blushes and looks away nervously.

Loki can't help but smile. “Crush?”

Thor lets out a flustered laugh and shifts his weight from one foot to the other before clearing his throat and asking, “so, how do you like your coffee?”

Loki quirks an eyebrow at him, resting his chin in his hand. “How about you surprise me?”

Thor nods and slides out of his seat, moving behind the counter. Loki watches him move around easily, spinning gracefully around Darcy and preparing a couple of mugs. Loki notes that he just has one sleeve of his navy shirt pushed up, the other, the one with the scarred hand, is kept in place. Thor comes back with a tray holding two mugs and a large muffin. Thor sets the tray down as he slides back into the booth, pushing the muffin towards Loki. Loki raises an eyebrow at him again.

“I heard your stomach growl when we came in. It's blueberry cheesecake.”

“Ooh, _decadent._ ”

Thor grabs his mug, taking a careful sip. “You look like you might have a sweet tooth.”

Loki tries to quell his smirk. “How'd you gather that?”

Thor shrugs and looks out the window. “Guessed.”

Loki smiles, picking up his own mug, blowing on it lightly and flicking his finger without thought, cooling it. He takes a sip and raises his eyebrows in surprise when he tastes vanilla and spices mixing with the flavor of coffee, humming in pleasure. He glances back at Thor to find him watching Loki expectantly, the smile on his face growing larger.

Loki laughs softly and sets the mug down. “Good guess.”

Loki goes at the muffin next, moaning obscenely on the first bite.

“Good?”

“ _Amazing._ ”

“Thank you.”

“You made this too?”

“Yep.”

That's it. Loki's in love. Or he has a sugar high. Same thing, really.

He devours his muffin and guzzles his coffee, gladly taking Thor up a on a second cup when he offers. He makes that one caramel. It takes all of Loki's strength to not hop in his lap right then and there. People filter in and out of the place, not too many, keeping the place quiet and private. They get a few looks and whispers, which is nothing Loki isn't used to, and Thor seems undisturbed by it too. They chat about anything. Loki asks about the gifts for his mom and Thor trips over his words as he tells him that her birthday is the _next_ day, so he's giving them to her then, though the doll has seemed to have disappeared.

They end up sitting there for a few hours longer than Loki anticipated. He's definitely not bothered by it though. By the time the coffee has been drained from their cups and the conversation trails off to nothing Loki feels warmth blooming in his chest. Oddly relaxed, despite the caffeine. He's definitely going to kiss Thor when the opportunity presents itself.

Which, with the way Thor's eyes keep flitting back from Loki's lips to his eyes, is going to be soon.

“Walk me back to my store?”

Thor helps Loki slip his coat back on before putting on his own, rushing to open the door for him as they make their way out. He holds his arm out to Loki again, and he can't help but laugh at all the over the top chivalry.

“What a gentleman,” Loki says, looping his arm through Thor's.

Thor shrugs and smiles softly. “My mother wouldn't have it any other way.”

Loki leans into Thor's side as they walk. He's feeling a bit shameless. He blames the sugar and Thor's astonishing good looks. He realizes a little ways away from his store that he's hanging off the arm with the scarred hand. He burns with curiosity and almost wants to yank up his sleeve just to maybe end this little mystery. But he won't.

He _won't_.

They stop at the door of his shop, ducking into the little alcove the door's set in to escape the wind.

“That was nice,” Thor says as they stand there and stare at each other.

Loki reaches up and yanks him into a kiss. Thor lets out a startled noise that quickly turns into a soft moan, one hand weaving into Loki's hair while the other presses into the small of his back, bringing their bodies closer.

A car full of teenagers comes screaming down the road a minute or so later, windows open. They all cackle as one of them chucks a half-full soda cup out of it and it hits the walls just beside them, splashing them both with it. “ _Fags!_ ”

They're startled out of their kiss with it. Loki just sighs in annoyance and wipes at his coat sleeve. “Damn kids.”

He looks back at Thor when there's nothing but silence and finds his eerie blue eyes narrowed dangerously in the direction the car went, a few brownish drips of soda going down his forehead and cheek.

Loki laughs blithely and smacks his arm. “Oh come on now, I've been called worse things than that.”

Thor just sighs and sags against the wall opposite Loki, hurt mixing in with the anger of his expression.

Loki realizes with a start Thor likely has gotten a _lot_ more of this, and doesn't just up and move to a new town when he grows bored of it. He grabs Thor's hand, pulling him back from his brooding and smiles softly. “Come on, we can clean up inside.”

Loki has to hold back using a spell to clean their jackets, instead using the brown paper towels in the cramped bathroom to sop up the soda. Thor is still silent, expression still stormy as the minutes tick by.

“Now _Thor_ ,” He starts when the silence starts to get at him, “are you _really_ going to let some stupid kids ruin a wonderful date? I'd rather not.”

Finally, he cracks a smile. “That was a date?”

Loki crosses his arms, tilting his head. “Well, we talked, you seduced me with food, and there was that whole kissing business out there... Unless the definition of 'date' has changed since I last took one, which, granted, it _has_ been a while. _Yes_ , that was a date.”

Thor steps closer, cupping the back of Loki's head and pulling him in for another kiss.

They're breathless when they pull away.

“I should probably be heading back now.”

Loki nods absentmindedly, his focus squarely on the way Thor's mouth moves.

“Are you maybe free for Wednesday night?”

Loki nods again. “Free as can be.” He'll cringe about that later.

Thor chuckles and pecks him on the lips once more before moving away. “I'll pick you up at your place at... eight then?”

“Sounds good.” He doesn't ask how Thor will know where he lives, Loki knows how towns like this work. _Everyone_ knows where he lives.

The bell above the door chimes as Thor leaves, and he swipes his hand over his sleeve, the soda evaporating.

\---

Someone taps him on the shoulder as he takes in the paltry tea selections at the grocery store.

He looks down at the petite woman smiling awkwardly before him. “Um, hi.”

Loki cocks an eyebrow at her. “Hello?”

“So, you're Loki.” It's not a question, but Loki nods.

“I heard you went on a date with Thor the other day,” she begins, fidgeting constantly. “And well I, I just wanted...”

Loki waits, watching her intently, hands clasped in front of him.

She huffs and shakes her head. “Okay, first of all, I'm Jane. I'm a friend of Thor's.”

“Nice to meet you,” Loki says blandly.

“Same here- But I just wanted to kind of ask you something.”

Loki's eyebrows creep up high on his forehead. “Go on then.”

She fidgets for another moment or two before sighing. “Are you going to give him a chance? Like, a real chance?”

What? “What?”

“It's just- people always seem to break things off with him _really_ quickly, and I know he may have some quirks-”

Loki tilts his head. Quirks?

“But he's a _really_ great guy and I just can't stand to see him get his heart broken _again_ and he _really_ likes you-”

She's babbling. “I will definitely be giving him a chance, Jane.”

She goes on as if she hadn't heard him, gasping as she grabs his arm. “- _Oh god_ , don't tell him I talked to you, okay?”

“Sure thing,” Loki says, plastering on a smile. She apologizes a few times before skittering away, leaving Loki alone and acutely aware of the glances coming his way. He tries to go back to looking at the teas, but he's too distracted with trying to figure out what the hell kind of _quirks_ Thor could have. Is a man being able to bake a _quirk_ around here? He gives up his search and leaves his cart in the aisle. He can come back and shop later.

He's itchy from having eyes on him and feeling strangely constricted. The sky is once again dark with clouds. They noticeably roll along the sky and there's that telltale heaviness in the air of an incoming storm.

He decides to go for a drive, rolling down the windows with a flick of the wrist and relaxing when cold air whips his face. He finds a road that's long, straight, and blissfully free of other cars or even buildings and lets his foot get heavy on the gas pedal. He feels a pull in his chest, keeping him moving forward despite his growing trepidation at the steadily darkening sky with each passing mile.

A black pickup truck pulled over in front of a overgrown field finally gives him pause. He pulls over in front of a wooded area a little ways away and starts walking to it for some goddamn reason. Thunder rumbles above and when he comes up to the edge of the field he notices someone standing in the middle of it. He ducks back, silencing his steps with a whisper and hiding behind a tree. He narrows his eyes at the person standing in the field.

Well, he thinks he knows what _one_ of Thor's quirks is, now.

His stance is relaxed, arms hanging at his sides and face tipped skyward, eyes shut. He looks lost in a trance. Loki looks up when there's a crack from the sky, loud enough to make his ears ring. The rain starts moments later, fat, cold drops beating down on the earth in sheets. Thor doesn't move. He hardly reacts at all, actually.

Loki flinches when lightening makes the sky go white, another earth-shaking crack of thunder coming with it, grabbing on to the tree automatically. Which he quickly lets go of. More lightening spiders across the sky and Loki thinks he can see Thor's eyes opening to watch.

So. _Really_ likes storms.

When it appears that Thor is just going to stand there, Loki scurries back to his car, the spell spreading over it too so the engine and tires are silent as he passes by Thor again.

First the scars, now this. And he _bakes_. All while looking the way he does.

Loki is _dangerously_ intrigued by Thor.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki is pushing this hair back off his face in the bathroom mirror when he hears the _thumpthumpthump_ of someone knocking on the door. His heart does a strange little pitter in his chest and he has to force himself to stop at the top of the stairs to take a breath. He doesn't want to seem _overly_ excited. _He has an reputation to uphold_ , he reminds himself.

He still descends the stairs a bit faster than usual, stopping at the front door to take another breath and rake his hand through his hair one final time before opening it.

Thor smiles brightly at him as the door swings open, holding up a small brown bag. “I thought this might be better than flowers.”

Loki snatches the bag from Thor's hand as he steps aside to let him in. He lets out a loud “ _ooh_ ” at the sight of the three big cookies inside the bag before he can contain himself.

“They're chocolate chip. Well, chocolate chunk actually,” Thor helpfully supplies, shrugging his broad shoulders as he clasps his hands behind himself and giving Loki a little satisfied grin. Sif appears behind him, crossing her arms and appraising him.

Loki ignores her and breaks off a piece from one of the cookies, moaning far too loudly as he takes a bite. “ _Christ_ , Thor.”

Thor's smile gets a little bigger, his hand coming up to scratch his neck as Sif tickles it. “They're good?”

Loki narrows his eyes at him, blatantly refusing to go along with whatever game Sif has decided to play. “Don't try to act all _humble_. You know exactly what you're doing to me.”

Thor laughs and it's all rumble-y and the corners of his eyes crinkle prettily, managing to charm Loki a little more. Then Sif blows a lock of his hair into his face and disappears. Thor spins on his heel as he tucks it back behind his ear. “The hell?”

Loki wishes he could throttle her. “Oh, this place has some weird drafts. You know how old houses get.”

Thor nods, turning back to Loki slowly. Sif sits at the bottom of the staircase, looking far too pleased with her little trick.

“This place has been empty since I was a kid,” Thor says, sliding his hands into his pockets as he looks around the foyer and living room. “I always heard it was abandoned because it was haunted.”

“Really?” Loki says distractedly, tracking Sif in the corner of his eye as he guides Thor farther inside.

“Yeah.” Thor runs his hand over the back of his couch, smiling softly. “It looks a lot better in here than I would've thought.”

“I'm very good decorator,” Loki says just a bit smugly, earning a small snort of laughter from Thor. “I'm going to put these in the kitchen and then we can head off,” he adds, holding the bag up to Thor. Thor nods and he quickly makes his way to the kitchen, tossing the bag on the counter and preemptively glaring in the space Sif's face usually is. Sif appears before him a second later.

“So that's the _Thor_ you keep moaning about at night?”

Loki huffs in annoyance. “You _listen!?_ ”

“I don't _want_ to,” she says with a disgusted look. “You should perhaps try keeping your voice down.”

Loki suppresses a frustrated growl. “Don't you dare try and freak Thor out or I will cleanse you faster than you can _blink_ -”

Sif rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to say something, but is interrupted by the creak of a floorboard.

“Oh thank _god_ , you can see her too,” Thor says, hand over his heart and letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

Loki and Sif whip around, mouths gaping at Thor.

“ _You_ see her?” Loki asks, blinking a few times.

“Yeah,” Thor says with a breathless chuckle, scratching the back of his neck. “I just didn't want to say anything and seem, you know, crazy.” Thor's smile drops a little on the last word, his voice turning a bit sad.

Loki clears his throat after staring at Thor for a few more seconds and claps his hands together, looking back to Sif. “Well, _your_ plan failed and I am _completely_ famished, so how about we head off?”

Thor gives a quick nod of his head to a now very annoyed Sif. “Nice to meet you... sort of.”

She just huffs and vanishes into thin air. Thor's grin flares back to life as Loki walks up to him, following Loki back to the front door and helping him into his coat before they walk out. He offers Loki his arm after he locks the door and Loki happily takes it, letting Thor walk him to his truck, parked in the street in front of the house. He ignores the neighbors not-so-sneakily peeking through their windows at them, and lets Thor open the passenger side door for him.

\---

Loki traces his fingers across the top of Thor's hand as it lays flat on the small dining table between them, his fingers dipping under the edge of the sleeve of his dark red sweater while Thor tells him how he got into baking. It's not the scarred hand, _that_ one is hidden under the table.

The curiosity is really starting to eat at him.

“...And _then_ I started doing virgin sacrifices, and that _really_ made things take off.”

Loki practically jolts as the words sink in.

Thor laughs into his drink and thankfully doesn't look particularly offended. “Am I really that boring?”

“No, of course not.” Loki sighs and slouches, resting his chin in his hand. “I'm just very curious about something.”

Thor looks a bit nervous now, attempting to cover it by taking another sip of his drink. “About what?”

“Your hand,” he starts, mindful of the few other patrons that have been glancing at them and whispering, subtly pointing to the one hidden under the table, “I noticed the scars, and how you tend to hide it.”

Thor's shoulders slump and he shakes his head, exhaling loudly. “You'd think I'd be better at not making it so obvious by now.”

Loki says nothing, waiting for Thor to continue. Thor squirms for another moment before leaning forward, Loki mirroring his posture so their faces are close.

“I- I _really_ loved storms as a kid,” Thor starts, voice low and hushed, eyes darting around their table. Loki is reminded of him standing in the field the other day.

“And one day, when I was about eight, we were hit with a really bad one. I can't remember exactly what happened, but I had ran out of the house while my mother was distracted trying to get a hold of my father, and well... I was sort of... struck by lightening. It left me pretty badly scarred.”

Loki can feel the wide-eyed look of shock on his face. Thor laughs a bit uncomfortably and grips the scarred wrist with his other hand, pulling his sleeve a little farther down.

“Can I see?” Loki asks before thinking better of it.

Thor lets out another uncomfortable laugh and looks at the restaurant around them, answering with, “maybe later.”

Loki nods, sitting back. “Oh yes, of course.”

\---

Thor's hand, _the_ hand, is a comfortable weight on his thigh as he pulls up in front of Loki's house. He lifts it away to put the truck in park and sighs as silence descends between them. The streetlight casts half of the cab of the truck in a strange, orange-y glow, the other is blanketed with shadow. They smile at each other and Loki holds his hand out to Thor, palm up.

“Can I see?”

Thor bites his lip and moves a bit reluctantly before placing his hand in Loki's. Loki's stomach does a nervous flip as he finally pushes the sleeve up as far as he can, barely managing to get it halfway up Thor's thick forearm. He reaches up and turns on the small light on the ceiling of the truck. Thor sighs heavily as the truck is lit up, his hand curling slowly.

Loki's mouth hangs open as he finally looks at Thor's forearm, fingers tracing lightly over countless tendrils of thickened skin, twisted and gnarled like the branches of an old, dead tree. He feels _something_ , but he cannot seem to pinpoint what it is, or if it's anything at all.

“ _Wow_ ,” he says softly after he realizes he hasn't said anything in a couple of minutes, turning Thor's arm to see the underside. “How far do they go?”

Thor clears his throat and shifts in his seat. “Um, up the rest of my arm and shoulder, and then down about half my chest and back, and all the way down my leg.”

Loki looks up at him, his eyes skirting down Thor's body as he pictures it.

_That_ is something he definitely wants to see.

But probably not tonight, given how tense and uncomfortable Thor looks now. Loki lets his hand go, watching Thor pull his arm to his chest and tugs his sleeve back down. He visibly relaxes when his arm is covered once again.

“People have always been a little weird about them,” Thor says with a forced laugh. “It's made me a bit shy, I guess.”

“They're beautiful,” Loki blurts out, leaning towards Thor subconsciously.

Thor's lips quirk into a genuine smile. He leans over and catches Loki's chin to pull him into a kiss. The angle is a little awkward, but Loki responds instantly, his hand caressing Thor's wrist as he tilts his head and deepens it. They're both panting softly when they pull back. Thor's smiling again and Loki can't help but return it.

“So,” Thor says, tapping his hands on the steering wheel and biting his lip, “can I see you again-”

“Friday,” Loki says, not caring if he seems desperate because, frankly, he kind of is.

Thor laughs and nods. “Friday. Perfect.”

Loki pulls him by his sweater for another kiss, moaning softly into it. He gets a little thrill when he lets Thor go and sees that Thor's eyes are slightly darker, his tongue darting out to wet his lip. Loki hops out of the car and practically skips to his front door, looking over his shoulder to find Thor watching him, his grin a bit silly looking and lopsided. He hears the truck rev up as he shuts the door behind himself. He sags against the painted wood and sighs dreamily. He feels light and fluttery and downright _giddy_.

He finally pushes himself off the door and peels off his coat. Now he has a date with a bag of amazing cookies that Sif _better_ not have messed with.


	4. Chapter 4

Loki's so focused on reorganizing the shelves that he doesn't even hear the shop door open, the little chime of the bell floating past his ears unheard. So, naturally, he jumps and yelps like an idiot when Thor suddenly pops up beside him, holding a cup of coffee and a white paper bag.

“Didn't mean to scare you,” he says with a laugh and a charming smile.

Loki breathes a sigh, putting a hand over his heart as he wills it to slow down. “Sorry, I was just a bit zoned out.” His eyes widen slightly when he notices the things in Thor's hands.

“Did you bring me treats?”

Thor shrugs, his smile going crooked as he holds the cup and bag out to Loki.

“It's a bit selfish, actually, I like how you moan whenever you eat something I make. This is really just an ego boost for me.”

Loki smiles slyly as he holds the lidded cup to his lips. “An _ego_ boost?”

Thor shrugs and doesn't look embarrassed _at all_ , and follows Loki back to the counter. Loki moans on the first sip of his coffee. Caramel.

“The muffin is raspberry and white chocolate,” Thor says, and Loki moans again just at the description.

Loki sets the bag and cup down beside the register before turning and tugging Thor closer by his coat, pressing their bodies together and giving him a quick peck on the lips. “You're terrible for my waistline, I hope you know that.”

Thor chuckles and wraps his arms around Loki's waist, his warm hands sliding up and down his back. He kisses Loki again, slowly, one hand sliding up to cup the back of his neck while Loki's hands go to Thor's cheeks, his thumbs running across his scruffy beard. Loki sighs, going a bit weak in the knees. Thor chuckles, the arm around Loki's waist tightening slightly to keep him up.

Loki moves his hands to Thor's coat after he breaks away, humming happily while Thor grins at him.

“I should bring you coffee everyday if this is how you're gonna say thanks.”

Loki smiles and shrugs a shoulder. “I can't say I wouldn't enjoy that.”

Thor cups his cheek and gives him another peck on the lips. “I also came to ask you if you'd like to come to my place and let me make you dinner for our date tomorrow night.”

“Hmm,” Loki starts, hands slipping under Thor's jacket, kneading his fingertips into Thor's chest and feeling the soft, grey cotton of his shirt.

“Well, if your cooking is anything like your baking I'm going to be in for a real treat.”

Thor grins at him. “I'll have to do my best to wow you then.”

They turn as the bell on the door chimes, a few kids no more than eleven or twelve years old standing crouched in the doorway, their attempt at sneaking in foiled, apparently. Loki cocks a brow at them.

“Don't you kids have school?” A couple of the kids gape at them, eyes going back and fourth between him and Thor, whose giving them a bit of a hard look.

“ _Shoo,_ ” Loki whispers, “or else I'll have to _curse_ you.”

The kids scurry off at that, shoes and boots scuffing loudly on the pavement as they bolted down the street. Loki brushes his hands as he turns back to Thor.

“Now, where were we?”

Thor's face twists a little. “Probably at the point where I tell you I have to leave because I've left Darcy in charge of the coffee shop.”

“Damn,” Loki says, the feeling of genuine disappointment that bubbles up not hidden in his voice.

Thor shrugs, pulling Loki close again.

“We'll see each other tomorrow, though.”

“Mm, _true_. And I'm looking very forward to it.” Thor smiles softly and gives Loki a quick kiss on the lips. “Me too.”

\---

Loki can't get the smile off his face and he's sure he's looking a bit maniacal at this point. He bends forward and groans as he reaches for the foot he's propped up on his bed, his body protesting the stretch.

“Goddamn I need to do this more.” He suddenly thinks of all the times his mother asked if he'd like to join her for some yoga growing up, and then her softly tsking as he swatted her away because it was _seven in the goddamn morning_. He probably should've taken her up on that offer at some point.

His face twists a bit as he stands back up. _She probably heard that thought_. Now the next time he calls she's gonna start offering to send him some of her books and have to deal with her sounding all smug. _Ugh_. He falls forward and hooks his fingers around his toes, wheezing at the feeling of tightness in the backs of his thighs.

_Whatever._ Thor's taking him to his place tonight and that's all that matters right now.

Sif is watching him with a puzzled expression from the other side of his bed when he stands back up.

“ _Ah,_ Sif, my darling. How's being dead today?”

She tilts her head at him. “You're in a bright mood.”

“I bet even _you_ would be in a _bright mood_ if you knew you were getting laid in a few hours,” Loki says cheerily as he extends his arms above his head and stretches his sides.

Her face contorts when what he says registers. “You're _disgusting_.”

Loki throws his head back and laughs. “I don't care. You _saw_ Thor, right? I'm going to have _that_ inside me tonight.”

“Stop speaking!” Sif says, throwing her hands up defensively.

“Don't be surprised if I come back _limping_ tomorrow,” he says with a wink, voice low and silky.

“ _Blech!_ ” Sig gags as she vanishes.

Loki laughs softly to himself and then folds forward once more with a groan.

\---

Thor keeps glancing over to him, his hands wrapped loosely around the sides of the steering wheel as he drives expertly through narrow, winding roads in the gloomy dusk. They've left the main part of town, passed through more sparsely populated streets and now pass endless fields of farmland, most of it recently harvested, with patches of forest here and there. Loki looks over and catches Thor looking back at him, gives him a sly smile that makes Thor's grin broader as he looks back to the road, lit only by the truck's headlights. Thor holds out his hand to Loki when they hit a stretch of straight road, and Loki takes it, weaving their fingers together.

“You live far out of town,” Loki says.

“I like having a bit of privacy.” He quickly adds, “I mean, I like living here, I _grew up_ here and all my family and friends live here... I just- I like a bit of separation from it, I guess.”

“Understandable,” Loki says softly. He clasps his other hand around Thor's, his thumb slipping under the sleeve of Thor's jacket and shirt, feeling the uneven ridges on his wrist. “Is it because of the scars?”

“That's a lot of it, yeah,” Thor says with a sigh. “I still get stared at a lot and talked about behind my back.” Thor scowls at the road. “People like to come up with stories or have _theories_ about me... The worst might've been when I started dating my first boyfriend. Someone actually went up to _my mother_ and started going on and on about how I'd been _tainted_ or _stained_ from getting hit by lightening.”

“Well, even if that were the case, I've just got to say: _lucky me_.” Loki says, winking at Thor when he looks over, the scowl falling from his face and pulling a huff of laughter from him.

“What was it like where you grew up? Where _did_ you grow up, anyways?” Thor asks a moment later.

“Oh, I grew up all over,” Loki says with a broad gesture of his hand. “It was just me and my mother and we moved around a lot.”

Thor nods slowly with a small smile. “What's your mother like?”

Loki laughs. “She's a special lady. Right now, she's living in Key West working as fortune teller and feeding any stray cat that comes to her door. Before that she was in San Francisco, selling homemade shampoo that absolutely _stunk_ of patchouli. And the list goes on and _on_...”

Thor bursts out in laughter. “Wow. So I take it that you take after her a bit?”

“I guess. Though _I_ prefer to stick with selling antiques and used books. And her hair is red, although I've never been entirely sure that was natural.”

“Wasn't it kind of weird growing up like that? Like, wasn't hard to make friends?”

“ _Eh_ ,” Loki says with a shrug, “I'm a bit of a solitary creature and I've never really thought about it being weird. I guess it's always felt natural to be weird for me. I _definitely_ got that from her.”

Thor looks at him with an odd expression that's made harder to read in the dark, blinking at Loki a few times before his lips curve into a smile and his gaze moves back to the road.

Thor pulls into a long, gravel driveway, parking close next to a well cared for two-story house that has a wrap around porch and lots and lots of windows.

“My humble abode,” Thor says proudly as he opens the passenger door for Loki. He leads him inside and walks in deeper to turn on the lights, coming back and watching as Loki explores the place a little. He slips off his own coat, revealing a blue flannel shirt over a white v-neck, and then comes up behind Loki to help him out of his own coat, taking them both and hanging them on a couple of hooks by the door.

Loki raises an inquisitive brow when he notices that Thor doesn't seem to have a tv. His worn in couch sits before one of the large sets of windows that faces out the side, looking over an overgrown field and a patch of woods with trees whose dying leaves still cling to the branches.

As if sensing his question, Thor says a bit shyly, “I don't really watch much tv. I have a little one hooked up to a dvd player in my bedroom but that's it really.”

Thor clears his throat and adds, “I've got most of dinner ready, I can put it in the oven now if you're hungry?”

“I'm good right now actually,” Loki says as he turns to Thor. He smirks, slowly stepping into Thor's space and sliding his arms around his waist, getting close enough that their noses brush. Thor exhales and relaxes a bit, running one hand up Loki's spine and cupping Loki's neck with the other, the tip of his thumb sliding along Loki's jaw. His lips curve into a small smile as he gazes at Loki, his eyes flicking back and forth from Loki's to his lips.

“Maybe you could give me a tour of the rest of your house?” Loki asks softly, one eyebrow raised slightly.

Thor lets out a breathy laugh and his smile grows broader. “Well, um, there's not really much-”

Loki leans forward as Thor continues to stammer, silencing him with a kiss. Thor exhales audibly when he eventually pulls back, eyes fluttering open and tongue darting out to lick his lips.

“And _this_ is my bedroom,” Thor says after he flips on the light-switch, arm dropping to his side. Loki hums as he walks deeper into the room, the walls are painted a nondescript cream color that matches the rest of the house. A small tv hangs above a dresser that's sat directly across from the bed, which is big and comfortable looking with dark blue and grey bedding. Large windows lined the wall beside and at the head of the bed, with some skylights going up along the sloped ceiling above it, so that there was an almost uninterrupted view of the land that surrounds Thor's house, the patches of trees and bushes nothing but large shadows in the dark.

“You must _really_ like the view,” Loki says as he sits on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his hands and crossing his legs.

Thor laughs a bit nervously as he walks closer, boots thumping quietly on the old hardwood floor and hands behind his back. “Yeah, kinda.”

“You've got a very nice bed here,” Loki says, aiming to sound playful.

“That's good to hear,” Thor replies, sounding a little more relaxed again, and crouches before Loki, his hands sliding heavily up the sides of Loki's thighs. “Because, _well_ , I kinda had plans.”

Loki carefully uncrosses his legs, letting Thor settle between his knees. “ _Really?_ What kind of plans could you _possibly_ have?”

Thor smiles up at him crookedly, fingers kneading into his thighs gently as he gives a small shrug of his shoulders. “I was hoping to get you to moan some more. First in this bed, and then with french toast in the morning.”

Loki does moan, _just_ a little, and it brings a beautifully mischievous grin to Thor's face.

“Those sound like... solid plans,” Loki says a little unsteadily, licking his suddenly dry lips. Thor laughs at hims softly and rises up to kiss him.

They climb in to bed together, hands sliding all over each other as they lay down on their sides, facing one another. Loki's fingers nimbly worked the buttons of Thor's flannel shirt open so he can slip his hands under it, but still above the thin cotton of the white v-neck under it. Thor tugs Loki's own shirt from where he has it tucked into his black jeans, sliding his hand beneath it and gripping on to the bare skin of Loki's side. Loki drapes a leg over Thor's hip as he pulls Loki closer, rocking forward a little to bring their hips together. Thor lets out a soft sigh against his lips, his fingers tightening on Loki's side slightly.

Loki pulls back a little, the both of them breathing heavily and smiling like complete idiots. Thor slides his other arm under Loki's neck and wraps it around his shoulders, the hand at his side moving to Loki's thigh. Loki's hand moves from Thor's chest to the crook of his neck, his other arm folded between them.

Loki glances upwards when he sees a star flickering in the corner of his eye, doing a double take and “oohing” softly. “That's lovely,” he says as he takes in the view of the night sky from Thor's skylights.

“Yeah, it makes star gazing a really comfortable experience.”

Loki itches to turn the light off from here, wanting the glaring reflection from the light gone.

Not quite yet, there's still something he's been dying to see and he'll need the light for it, he reminds himself.

Loki looks back at Thor, planting another kiss on his lips as he rolls forward, pushing Thor on to his back and straddling his hips. Thor's hands rest on Loki's thighs and he licks his lips, looking a little nervous again. Loki smiles and rolls his hips, pulling a huff from him.

“I want to see you,” Loki says quietly, fingers inching up the hem of Thor's t-shirt.

Thor sits up slowly, the both of them adjusting their positions until Loki is cradled comfortably in Thor's thighs. Loki helps him out of his flannel shirt, tossing it to the floor before reaching between them and grasping the hem of Thor's t-shirt once again, looking at Thor for permission. Thor nods his head a little and raises his arms as Loki's pulls his shirt off, his eyes focused squarely on Loki's face as he rolls back down on to his back, an obvious tension in his shoulders.

Loki finds himself a bit breathless at the sight before him. Half of Thor's torso is covered in the same scars as his arm, just as he said. Loki runs his fingertips lightly down Thor's chest, feeling the difference in the texture of his skin while Thor continues to intently watch Loki's face. Loki looks up at him as he traces one of the broader scars that trails off towards his bellybutton.

“Wow,” he says, any eloquence he has deciding to leave him. Thor's eyelashes flutter and his chest falls as he lets out the breath he had been apparently holding. He leans down, sliding his hands back up Thor's chest as he does, and captures his lips in another deep kiss, his hands moving more greedily over Thor's skin now. “Gorgeous.”

He can feel Thor's smile against his lips as he flips them over. Loki sighs unsteadily as Thor rests heavily on top of him, his hands roaming to his back, his fingers flitting over the scars there. Thor kisses his neck as he begins to undo the buttons of Loki's shirt, laughing when he continues to fumble on the first one.

“These buttons are too damn small,” he chuckles. Loki laughs too and bats his hands away, managing to slip up only a few times as he unbuttons the shirt himself and lets Thor help him out of it. Thor settles on top of him again when the shirt is in a pile on the floor, and Loki moans quietly at the feeling of Thor's warm skin on his own, his knees squeezing Thor's hips. Thor bends his head to kiss along the side of Loki's neck. Loki twists his head and moans again.

Thor huffs softly against his skin, and Loki feels his smile. “I didn't realize you'd be _this_ much of a moaner.”

“Shut up,” Loki says with a laugh, swatting Thor's ass lightly.

Thor laughs and moves lower, his lips smacking as he kisses down Loki's chest while his hands work open Loki's belt and jeans. Loki, trying desperately to not moan now, working Thor's hair out of the loose bun he has it in and raking his fingers through the soft strands as they fall around his face. Thor hums, looking up at Loki and hooking his fingers into the waistband of his pants. Loki plants his feet on the mattress and lifts himself so Thor can wriggle them, along with his briefs, down his thighs, his hard cock bobbing in the air.

Thor tugs them off the rest of the way and whips them to the ground with a small, playful growl that makes Loki smile. He crawls forward again, kissing him hard while Loki brings his hand between them and works Thor's jeans open. They groan into each others mouths when Loki wraps his fist around Thor's cock and gives it a few slow strokes.

“The light,” Loki gasps against Thor's lips. Thor nods with heavy lidded eyes, climbing off the bed and shoving his jeans down his hips and thighs, kicking them off his feet as he walks over to the other side of the room. Loki watches raptly, eyes raking over Thor's fully exposed scars while Thor grabs something off the dresser and flips the light switch off. Thor's biting his lip as he sets down a new looking bottle of lube and a few condoms on to the nightstand, climbing back into bed and between Loki's open thighs, laying down on top of Loki again. Loki groans at the feeling of their cocks sliding next to each other, the both of them hard and throbbing between their stomachs.

Thor smiles a little, cupping Loki's cheek and running his thumb along his cheekbone. “I'm glad you moved into town.”

Loki covers Thor's hand with his own and tightens his legs where they're wrapped around Thor's waist. “I am too.”

Thor bites his lip again, looking nervous as he stares down at Loki.

Loki, curious and admittedly, _slightly_ nervous himself, reaches up and carefully tucks some of Thor's hair behind his ear. “What is it?”

“I want to tell you something.”

Loki stays silent and waits, giving Thor's hand that's on his face an encouraging squeeze when Thor just opens and closes his mouth a few times. Thor laughs breathlessly, shaking his head a little before clearing his throat.

He braces himself up on both elbows, his face hovering right above Loki's. “Actually, can I _show_ you something?”

Loki nods, his hands sliding up to cup Thor's shoulders.

Thor takes a deep breath and shuts his eyes while Loki raptly watches.

Rain begins to patter on the windows seconds later. Loki's focus snaps to the skylights above them, his eyes going wide at the now starless sky. Thor moves with him as Loki rolls on to his side and pushes himself up to look out the other windows, seeing that the clouds only go just past Thor's expansive yard, but they're spreading fast and the rain is steadily getting heavier.

Loki looks back to Thor and his eyes a definitely glowing right now.

Loki blinks. “You're doing that?”

Thor smiles shyly and nods.

“Holy shit,” Loki says as he looks back outside. The clouds have seemed to have stopped spreading and the rain is falling at a steady pace. “Can you make it... bigger?” Loki almost cringes at his wording.

Thor lets out a huff of laughter. “Well, yeah, I usually kind of avoid it though. Might look a little weird to the weatherman, you know?”

Loki turns back to him, scooting close as he looks very deeply into Thor's eyes. “I want you to show me what you can do.”

Thor's the one that looks shocked now, blinking rapidly a few times. “Really?”

“Yes,” Loki replies firmly, taking Thor's face in his hands and kissing him hard as he rolls on to his back again, dragging Thor on top of him. “Can you keep it going while we have sex?”

“I- I've never tried,” Thor says, “but I think so?”

“ _Good_ ,” Loki says as he reaches for the lube.

“I'm _ready_ , come on,” Loki says, his voice sounding higher and whinier than he'd like, spreading his thighs farther apart. Thor's hand goes still, his fingers buried inside Loki and rumbles in response, or maybe that's just more thunder. It's become hard to tell.

Thor takes a deep breath as he rakes his dry hand through his hair. His irises have gone white with the ramped up storm, even his scars are looking strangely luminescent. It's a little overwhelming, even a bit intimidating but, _god_ , so hot.

So, _so_ hot.

Thor tears open a condom and rolls it on before falling forward, bracing himself on a forearm, his face hovering just above Loki's as he presses forward. Loki groans as Thor's cock breaches him, clinging to his shoulders as he sinks in further. Loki feels something like electricity buzzing from Thor's scars, making his skin tingle wherever he's touching them. He digs his blunt nails into Thor's shoulder, pulling a moan from Thor that's mirrored by another rumble of thunder. A flash of lightening illuminates the sky briefly, which has become nothing but dark, churning clouds.

“Do that again,” Thor says breathlessly, his head falling to Loki's shoulder as his hips move in small, shallow thrusts. Loki grins and rakes his nails down Thor's shoulder, gasping sharply when Thor's hips surge forward.

“ _Again_ ,” Thor grunts before pressing his mouth to Loki's neck, his hips rolling steadily now. Loki bites his lip and scratches down the length of Thor's back, hanging on tightly with his other hand when Thor slams into him. Loki keeps going, raking his nails wherever he can reach, spurred on by the sounds Thor makes in his ear and the intensifying storm outside.

Thor pushes himself up on to his hands just as a bolt of lightening lands beside the house with a sharp crack, his eyes intensely focused on Loki's as he continues to fuck into him. Loki rolls his hips to meet Thor's thrusts, raking his fingers down Thor's chest. The sky flashes with lightening, the wind howling while the thunder snaps and roars constantly.

Loki's close, and by the looks of Thor, he is too. Loki shoves his hips up, pressing his cock against Thor's belly and sliding it over some of the electrified scars as he does, taking a firm hold of Thor's ass as he thrusts into him faster. Loki sobs when he comes, his whole body shuddering as his cock spills between their bellies. Thor comes in a blinding flash of white, slamming into Loki one more time and crushing him into the mattress.

The storm calms less than a minute later, the sound of thunder still constant but quieter now. Thor's breath is heavy in his ear. He lifts his head and kisses Loki lightly on the cheek before rolling off and pulling the condom off, tying it in a knot and tossing it away.

“Wow,” Thor says in a sigh of laughter. “I've never done anything like that before.”

Loki's staring up wide-eyed at the sky, watching rivulets of rainwater roll off the windows.

“ _Holy shit_.”

So... Incredibly powerful, incredibly hot and best of all: _a baker_.

Loki turns his head to look at Thor, his eyes glowing faintly blue and half closed, a sleepy smile plastered on his beautiful face. Loki rolls on top of him, pushing his hair back and kissing Thor deeply, humming when Thor's hands slide up his back.

“You're amazing,” Thor huffs when Loki pulls back a few moments later.

Loki laughs softly. “ _I'm_ not the one who just conjured up a small hurricane miles away from any coast.”

Thor laughs too, shrugging a shoulder.

“Well, I kind of didn't mean to do that.”

“It was amazing either way.”

“Really?”

“Oh _yes_ , darling. Just... _incredible_ ,” Loki says emphatically, tracing along his scruffy jaw with a finger. “... You think you're up for making another one?”

Thor blinks, his eyes glancing above Loki's head, out the window. He nods and grins. “Yeah, definitely.”

Loki yelps as Thor suddenly flips him on to his back, his eyes already glowing brighter and the rain pounding heavily on the windows.


	5. Chapter 5

Loki has half his face shoved into the pillow and one bleary eye open to watch the wispy clouds pass outside, the vivid blue sky reminding him of how Thor's eyes looked last night. He can feel the stupid looking grin on his face but he has no inclination to force it away. He can hear Thor puttering around downstairs, the clashing of pans and spatulas and the crackle of a radio playing classic rock. Loki drags himself out of bed, his eyes instantly caught on the utter destruction outside. The trees are all but stripped of their dying leaves and branches both large and small scattered all over, with muddy puddles sprinkled between. Loki sucks in a small breath through his teeth, turning away to find something to throw on. He smirks when he finds a flannel robe hanging on the back of the door, slipping it on and then raking his fingers through his tangled mess of hair.

_God_ , he must look completely fucked out.

Something catches the corner of his eye and makes him smile. The tiny, raggedy doll sits half hidden behind Thor's dresser.

“Did you enjoy the show?” He asks her as he goes over and picks her up from the floor. He laughs softly to himself and puts her on a shelf, next to a small stack of dvds, and pulls the tie of the robe tighter before heading downstairs.

He peeks at Thor from around the corner, watching him hum and bop along to the music in nothing but a flimsy pair of boxers while he cooks. Loki sags against the wall, raptly watching every movement of Thor's (dare he say, _perfect_?) body.

_He should tell Thor_.

Loki bites his lip, tilting his head as he considers it. He's never told _anyone_.

It's second nature for him to hide his powers from people. _But_ , it might be nice to not have to hide it from someone for once.

Decision made, Loki pushes off the wall and walks into Thor's kitchen, eying the ingredients he's got laid out over the counters. Now, _how_ is he going to tell Thor.

Thor looks over his shoulder when he hears Loki walk in, his eyes looking bright but a bit puffy. “Good morning,” he says cheerily.

“ _Very_ good morning,” Loki says as he strolls all way up to Thor and hugs him from behind, resting his chin on one of Thor's broad shoulders. He hums while he watches Thor flip a couple of thick slices of french toast in a pan.

“You got up just in time, breakfast is just about ready.”

Loki hums again, nuzzling his face in Thor's hair, pulled back into a loose, messy bun. Loki watches Thor scoop up each slice and place them on to separate plates, on top of another pair of slices, and then placing a few links of sausage on each plate before handing one to Loki.

Loki inhales deeply as he takes the plate from Thor, his eyes threatening to roll back in pleasure as they make their way to Thor's small dining table. “ _Oh lord_ , I can already tell this is going to be a divine experience.”

Thor chuckles and says, “there's coffee going too, it should be done pretty soon.”

They set their plates down and sink into their seats, their knees touching under the circular wooden table. Thor lets Loki snatch the syrup first, covering his mouth as he laughs at the absurd amount Loki's pours over his toast.

“You be quiet it over there,” he says with no heat as he finally finishes pouring, deeming his plate properly flooded in syrup, and hands it to Thor. Thor takes it with another small chuckle and pours a much more reasonable amount onto his french toast before setting it down.

“Dig in,” Thor says, nudging Loki's knee with his own.

“No need to tell me twice,” he says as he happily cuts into the toast with his fork, moaning obscenely as he takes his first (huge) bite.

“Now, I think you're just doing that to tease me.”

Loki narrows his eyes at Thor, resting an elbow on the table and waving a finger in Thor's face. “I'm being _one-hundred_ percent honest with you when I say that everything you make is like an edible sexual experience.”

Thor shakes his head as he laughs, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Then what was the actual sex like?”

Loki cocks an eyebrow up at him. “A _religious_ experience.”

Thor laughs again and looks down at his plate, his cheeks going slightly pink.

“I was listening to the news a little while ago... the storm knocked the power out in some places, and blew over a lot of trees,” Thor says almost shyly, the corner of his mouth turned up a little higher while he pokes at the food on his plate.

Loki hums, crossing his legs and sliding his foot up the back of Thor's calve. “That's not terribly surprising.”

Thor's eyebrow twitches upward. “You're not... freaked out by it _at all?_ ”

Loki smirks. “Quite the opposite, actually.”

Thor gives him a big, bright smile, reaching over and pulling Loki in for a kiss. The coffee maker pings.

“Do you want any coffee?” Thor asks as he pulls back and moves to get up.

Loki stops him with a hand on his arm, seeing his opportunity. “Allow me, darling,” he says as he snaps his fingers, the coffee pot floating across the room and on to the table.

Thor's eyes go wide, looking back and forth between Loki and the coffee pot. Loki smiles demurely at him and flicks his fingers in the direction of the mugs hanging on some hooks near the sink, catching them with ease when they come sailing to him. Thor cautiously takes the mug Loki holds out to him, his pretty mouth hanging open as he tries to process it all. The sugar and cream come careening in next, and Loki can't help but laugh a little at the ceramic cow Thor has it in. Thor continues to gape at him, only glancing down to watch Loki fill their mugs.

Loki chuckles as he pours sugar and cream into his cup, enough to make the coffee almost white. “You're not the _only_ one with special powers around here,” he says with a wink.

Thor laughs breathlessly, rubbing his face and tipping his mug to look into it. “I guess not.”

Loki takes another bite of his french toast before sipping his coffee, while Thor continues to watch him. It does feel... _nice_ , having Thor know.

Thor scratches his scruffy chin, his eyes raking over Loki. “Can you do other things?”

Loki smirks again, setting his mug down and leaning towards Thor. Loki pulls Thor's hand away from his face, weaving their fingers together. “Oh, I can do _many_ things. I'll show you some after breakfast.”

Thor smiles, reaching over to cup the back of Loki's head with his other hand and crushing their lips together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's gonna be an epilogue now! Yaaay!


	6. Epilogue

-Months Later-

“Still dating The Baker, I see,” his mother says as she gives a pointed look to his (only _slightly!_ ) thicker waist, her voice sounding perfectly innocent.

Loki pulls his hoodie(well, _Thor's_ hoodie) tighter around himself, clearing his throat and doing his best to appear casual in front of the mirror he's talking to his mother through. “I am.”

She hums, twirling a lock of bright red hair around a long finger as she appears to mull over something. Behind her, a white cat with one green and one blue eye jumps up on to a cluttered table, it's pointed ears perked up in interest as it looks at Loki. “How long has it been now?”

He doesn't like the tone of her voice one damn bit. He shrugs. “A few months...”

“About 6 months now, right?” She asks all too quickly, acting like she's distracted by one of her many potted plants, hanging in a little macrame hammock.

“ _Maybe_ ,” he answers a bit tightly.

She hums again and lets the silence hang for a few moments. “You must really like him.”

Loki's face flares with heat. “Obviously.”

Loki does not like the look of the smile that slowly slides on to his mother's face. “You know, it's been ages since we've seen each other face to face...”

“It's hasn't been _that_ long.”

“...And I'd just love to meet the man who could make my son, of all the people, _settle down_.”

“I'm not settling down!” He nearly shouts, sounding overly defensive and whiny to his own ears.

“Alright then, have you decided where you're heading next?”

Loki's jaw clenches and the look on his mother's face is positively triumphant.

“It's not- We're not _that_ serious.”

She just hums again, not looking very convinced by Loki's words. Loki isn't either, to be honest.

“Oh, who's your friend there?” She asks, looking somewhere behind Loki.

Sif's behind him, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed at the mirror as she looks over his shoulder. Loki sighs, gesturing back and forth between the mirror and Sif. “This is Sif, and Sif, this is my mother, Farbauti.”

His mother smiles pleasantly, freckled skin wrinkling around her eye and mouth. “Nice to meet you.”

Sif grumbles, fading into the air.

“She's a friendly one, isn't she.”

Loki shrugs. “I still think she'll lighten up eventually.”

His mother nods, poking at more of her plants and letting the silence linger once again.

“ _So..._ ” Loki starts, just to break it.

She gives him another pointed look and asks, “how's the weather there?”

“Nice, I guess,” he answers cautiously.

“Ah, _lucky Loki_ , it's been so dreadfully hot and muggy down here I can hardly _breathe_ sometimes.”

Loki gives his mother a hard look. “No.”

“I'm coming for a visit and that's final. Expect me next week.” Chin raised defiantly, she waves her hand, her image vanishing in a inky cloud, leaving Loki glaring at a perfectly average looking antique mirror.

“Dammit,” Loki groans, running his hands down his face.

\---

Loki inhales deeply as he walks through the front door of Thor's house, shutting it behind himself loud enough for Thor to hear and making his way to the kitchen.

His eyes go wide at the sight the dining table and one of the counters absolutely laden with all sorts of desserts, the rest of the space taken up with batter encrusted mixing bowls and bags of flour and sugar, spices and other bits and bobs scattered all over. “ _Good lord._ ”

Thor looks around and gives Loki a sheepish look. “Hey.”

“Making yourself busy?” Thor shrugs.

“Yeah. I just wasn't sure what your mother might like so I... kind of went overboard.”

Loki smiles, stepping closer and winding his arms around Thor's waist. Thor keeps his flour-covered hands at his sides, opting to just kiss Loki. “You really don't need to be so nervous, sweetheart.”

Thor makes a sound in his throat, tucking his face into Loki's neck. He doesn't know exactly when his mother is arriving, he could only get the day through the cryptic little knick knacks she's been sending him(all of them annoyingly _couple-y_ things), but he suspects they have a good few hours still.

Loki tugs on Thor's hair, forcing him to lift his head. “How about you take off that darling little apron, wash up, maybe grab a towel, and we go out in the back yard and work off some of that nervous energy of yours?”

Thor smiles, leaning forward and pecking Loki on the lips. “I like the sound of that... But can we wait a few minutes? I've got a tray of cookies in the oven.”

“That depends on what kind of cookies they are.”

Thor smirks. “ _Chocolate and macadamia nut_.”

Loki groans. “Oh, say that again you sexy bastard.”

Loki rakes his fingers through his wet hair, drying it in a few seconds. He checks his reflection in one of the windows and fluffs it up a little. The sky clears slowly and he has a feeling his mother is almost there. “Do you want me to dry your hair?”

“Sure,” Thor says as he tugs his t-shirt back over his head. He's looking infinitely more relaxed, his cheeks a little flushed and eyes still holding a faint glow. He turns his back to Loki and Loki gently begins combing his fingers through the dripping strands, repeating the motion until his hair is soft and dry, and then a few more times just for fun. Thor hums happily as he turns back around, swallowing Loki up in to a tight embrace.

“Feeling better?”

“ _Wonderful_ ,” Thor answers in a soft moan. One of his hands slides up to cradle the back of Loki's head and tip it back, kissing him deeply. They're interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

“There she is,” Loki says with a sigh, reluctantly pulling back and leading Thor to the front door. “A bit earlier than expected.”

Loki can see the bright red top of her head through the arc of beveled glass in the front door. He smiles as he opens it and is greeted with a similar grin from his mother. Maybe it _has_ been too long since they've seen each other.

“Sweetheart,” she says as she walks in, dropping her bag and slinging her arms around Loki's shoulders, squeezing him in the tightest hug she can manage, choking him a little. “Oh it's good to see you.”

“It's good to see you too,” he says tightly, albeit genuinely. He lets go of Thor's hand to wrap his arms around his mother's waist, hugging her just as tightly for a second before pulling back. She finally sets her eyes on Thor, who's standing a few feet away with his hands hanging at his sides, and raises her carefully arched brows as she leers at him.

“Loki, your descriptions _did not_ do your boyfriend justice,” she says as she pulls away from Loki, her tone admonishing. Loki rolls his eyes and picks up her bag before shutting the door, turning back to watch. It's far too heavy for it's size, unsurprisingly.

Thor's cheeks are slightly pink as he holds his hand out to her. “It's nice to finally meet you, ma'am.”

“ _Ooh!_ ” Her eyes practically light up at the sight of Thor's scars, mindlessly grabbing Thor's wrist and yanking his arm to examine them closely. “These are _lovely_ ,” she says as she runs the fingers over his forearm. Thor looks at Loki a bit wide-eyed.

Loki huffs, coming between them and knocking Thor's poor arm from her clutches. “Mind your manners, _mother_.”

She doesn't look the least bit apologetic, but says sorry anyways, eyes still raking over Thor as she looks Loki's shoulder. “You really got yourself a looker here, Loki.”

Thor laughs softly behind him and Loki can't help but smile just a little as he weighs the bag in his hand. “What the hell do you have in here?”

“Nothing much,” she answers distractedly, moving around Loki to get at Thor again. “So, Thor, Loki's never told me about how you got these,” she asks as she trails a finger down his bicep.

“Oh, um-” Thor stammers.

“Will you stop molesting him!? You haven't even been here for five damn minutes,” Loki hisses. He opens her bag when his curiosity gets the better of him, startling when he's met with a pair of green eyes. “ _Why the hell do you have a kitten in here!?_ ”

“You found your gift!” She exclaims as she finally turns away from Thor, clapping her elegant hands together. The kitten hops out of the bag when Loki drops it, running in a blur of grey and black fluff under Thor's couch.

“Why'd you bring me a cat?”

“It's for both of you! I've been calling her Lintball, but of course you two can pick something else.”

Loki glares at his mother, who just looks immensely pleased with herself. Thor's looking back forth between the two of them and the couch, looking more bewildered by the second.

Farbauti's eyes light up even more when she spots the dining table, walking straight too it, her longs skirt fluttering around her legs. “ _Well_ , I can definitely see why my son loves you,” she says as she picks up a cookie from one of the plates.

Thor gapes while Loki somehow manages to choke on his own spit. “Mother!” He gasps, hand on his chest. She smiles at the two of them around a mouthful of cookie.

Thor rakes a hand through his hair as he looks at Loki, his mouth twitching into a smile. Loki's face goes hot and he decides it's the perfect time to try to fish the kitten from under the couch.

“So, Thor, that storm earlier? Was that your handiwork?” Farbauti asks, her voice holding a hint of innuendo.

Thor laughs a bit nervously and Loki groans from where he's folded up on the floor. It's gonna be a long day.

\---

“Your mom is really … welcoming.” Thor says as he pets the kitten, now sleeping in a little ball on his thigh as they sit on the couch watching the remaining bit of the sunset. His mother is upstairs in one of the extra rooms they set up for her, leaving them alone finally.

Loki sighs, laying his head on Thor's shoulder. “I'm sorry if she got too handsy with you. We should've had her over at my place, she might've behaved better.”

Thor just laughs. “I think I'll be okay.”

They sit in silence for a few minutes, watching the last bit if light bleed out of the sky and fill with stars, the sound of the kitten's loud purring filling the big room.

“She really seems to want us to move in together,” Thor says, working over the words carefully.

“She's gone a bit crazy about it, actually.”

“Would you ever consider it, though?”

Loki lifts his head to look at Thor, blinking slowly. Thor keeps his gaze firmly focused on the kitten, using one of his fingers to pet her tiny head and chewing his lip. “You want me to move in with you?”

Thor looks up at him with a small smile and shrugs. “Well, we do have a cat to take care of now.”

“ _Lintball._ ” Loki huffs as he reaches over and scratches under her tiny chin, smiling as she stretches her head forward. “What a terrible name. We need to change it.”

Thor chuckles and nods his head. “She looks a bit like a storm cloud, don't you think?” He adds a few moments later.

Loki bursts out in laughter, nearly startling the kitten right off Thor's lap. “You're such a _dork_.”

“You love it,” Thor says, sounding oddly serious. The _“right?”_ at the end being heavily implied.

Loki takes a deep breath and looks back out the windows, watching their reflections in the glass for a moment before looking back to Thor. “I _do_ love it. Very much actually.”

Thor smiles, looking up from their kitten. “I love you too. Very much.”

Loki smiles back, leaning forward to kiss Thor softly, humming quietly when Thor reaches up to cup his cheek. Loki pulls back a moment later, his cheeks already aching from trying to stifle the grin on his face, and carefully scoops the kitten from Thor's lap. He holds her up to his face, narrowing his eyes as he inspects her. She mews at him in annoyance.

“She looks like a _Stormy_ , don't you think?”

-

Loki moves in to Thor's house within the week, while his mother suddenly decides she wants to settle down too, somewhere close to him, she says. And how convenient that Loki's house is need of a tenant!

The fit Sif throws when Loki informs her of this is epic, even better when he mentions the numerous cats she's bringing along with her.

“Don't be so glum, I'll be sure to visit often.”

“Oh _fuck you!_ ” She shouts, the power flickering with her rage.

Loki laughs as she disappears in a huff, “you and my mother are going to have so much _fun_ together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they lived happily ever after and constantly flooded the town THE END.
> 
> Thank you to everyone whose read and kudos'd and commented I LOVE YOU ALL.


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